I am a CMF missionary among the Turkana people of Kenya. I have served there since 1996. My primary work has been in Adult Literacy. In 2009 I began teaching English to our Turkana church leaders.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Inspection

Hello!

I had to get the annual inspection done on my truck this week. For this inspection, I have to have the front bumper bull bar and metal runners removed. The bumper is fine, but it is connected to a metal bull bar that protects my lights and radiator and such from damage if I hit an animal or a tree or something as I am driving in the bush. The metal bull bars on all vehicles were outlawed in all cities in Kenya a few years ago. So, for the inspection you can't have them on your vehicle. I can have it in Turkana because it is considered rural and therefore you need it. So far, you can drive them in the cities if you live in a rural area, but you can't have them on for inspection. Go figure!

Anyway, I had to have that removed. My bull bar is also connected to the runner, so those had to come off as well. I went for inspection after paying my advance tax for the privilege of having the inspection. I passed but was told that I must put front reflectors on my bumper. So, I took the truck back to the mechanic who then put the reflectors on and replaced the bull bar and runners. Such a silly thing to have to do, but I do value having a little extra protection for my truck, so I keep the bull bar.

As for the battery problems, they were fixed but I had to get it charged for 8 hours on Monday. I purchased it Saturday and they charged it for half an hour. It started my truck then, but on Sunday I had problems getting it to start again. So, on Monday I had to have a loaner battery for the inspection while my new battery was being charged again. Hopefully that will be the end of that problem!

I have come to Nairobi for the rest of the week. I plan on attending a high school graduation. Three CMF kids are graduating this year. I will also be grocery shopping for the next few months. If I have time, I might go see a movie. I will have to see what is showing :). I will be heading back to Eldoret on Monday and then on to Turkana on Wednesday. So, keep those prayers coming for safety in my travels. Traffic here is terrible. Many drivers bribed someone to get a license, so you can imagine the kind of driving we see. Prayer is really good!